National guidelines for data quality in surveys: An overview

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Demography
• Health Informatics

Background:

• High-quality health, nutrition, and demographic survey data are crucial for evidence-based decision-making.
• Existing literature highlights systemic gaps in data collection and reporting, compromising data usability and relevance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the National Guidelines for Data Quality in Surveys developed by the National Data Quality Forum (NDQF).
• To inform survey researchers and organizations on principles for generating high-quality survey data.
• To ensure the usability and relevance of health, nutrition, and demographic data.

Main Methods:

• Development of national guidelines by the National Data Quality Forum (NDQF) under ICMR-NIMS.
• Highlighting principles for each survey phase within the guidelines.
• Describing the applicability of guidelines for data users to ensure data quality.

Main Results:

• The guidelines provide assurance mechanisms for generating standard quality data in surveys.
• Principles cover all phases of the survey process, from design to reporting.
• The guidelines are applicable to both data producers and data users.

Conclusions:

• The National Guidelines for Data Quality in Surveys offer a framework to improve data quality.
• These guidelines are valuable for government and non-government organizations, policymakers, research institutions, and individual researchers.
• Implementation of these guidelines will play a vital role in enhancing the overall health, nutrition, and demographic data ecosystem.